got a question for you guys, im trying to build up some muscle as part of my new years resolution and was wondering what would be a good training regimen for skinny people like me lol. like how many reps, how many sets, how many exercises per body part, how much protien intake etc.. currently i am at 130ish lbs at 5'7'' and i wanna gain like 5-10lbs of muscle by the end of the year. i remember we used to have a fitness/workout thread somewhere but i cant find it...pls lock if its still here.any advise would be appreciated haha

From strength, learn gentleness. Through gentleness, strength will prevail.

pinoynurse wrote:got a question for you guys, im trying to build up some muscle as part of my new years resolution and was wondering what would be a good training regimen for skinny people like me lol. like how many reps, how many sets, how many exercises per body part, how much protien intake etc.. currently i am at 130ish lbs at 5'7'' and i wanna gain like 5-10lbs of muscle by the end of the year. i remember we used to have a fitness/workout thread somewhere but i cant find it...pls lock if its still here.any advise would be appreciated haha

If you're really serious about working out, then I would highly recommend checking out the forums on bodybuilding.com.

But I would also ask around Bodybuilding.com about all your questions. Especially about diet and what not.

For the most part, the Strong Lifts 5x5 program worked for me a few years back. It focused on compound lifts(bench press, military press, squats, deadlifts, etc.) rather than isolated workouts. In general, they say to take in 1 to 1.5 grams of total protein for every pound you weigh. For now, I would stick to 1 gram of protein for every pound you weight. So 130lb body would take in 130 grams of protein a day.

Your eating program is just as important your workout program. Make sure you committed to both before jumping into anything.

pinoynurse wrote:got a question for you guys, im trying to build up some muscle as part of my new years resolution and was wondering what would be a good training regimen for skinny people like me lol. like how many reps, how many sets, how many exercises per body part, how much protien intake etc.. currently i am at 130ish lbs at 5'7'' and i wanna gain like 5-10lbs of muscle by the end of the year. i remember we used to have a fitness/workout thread somewhere but i cant find it...pls lock if its still here.any advise would be appreciated haha

If you're really serious about working out, then I would highly recommend checking out the forums on bodybuilding.com.

But I would also ask around Bodybuilding.com about all your questions. Especially about diet and what not.

For the most part, the Strong Lifts 5x5 program worked for me a few years back. It focused on compound lifts(bench press, military press, squats, deadlifts, etc.) rather than isolated workouts. In general, they say to take in 1 to 1.5 grams of total protein for every pound you weigh. For now, I would stick to 1 gram of protein for every pound you weight. So 130lb body would take in 130lbs of protein a day.

Your eating program is just as important your workout program. Make sure you committed to both before jumping into anything.

Good luck!

He'll put on 130lbs in a day if he can keep that down

eyriq wrote:I don't get the attachment to Harris. What about his game indicates he is anything more than just 'a guy'? The evidence for him being more than that just isn't there.

Just do not listen to broscience. More often than not, it is crap. A vast majority of people talks the talk, but does not walk the walk. Bodybuilding.com is a good place to start though.

The most important advice I can give you is to sleep and be clever not to overtrain when you are designing your routine.

Do a full body workout with big compound movements (like arsenal said) 3 days a week. Have 3 working sets for each major muscle group in a day, which are back, legs, chest and shoulders. Keep your reps in the 6-10 territory.

For example, If you are heavy benching on monday (3x10), then pick something other than press for shoulders, preferably an isolation exercise like power partials. Consequently, do your shoulder presses on wednesday, but since you worked out your chest on monday pretty hard, try another chest exercise, i.e. incline dumbbell flyes on that day. Similarly, do romanian deadlifts on monday, but leg curls or calf pushes on wednesday, then heavy squats on friday.

Do not forget to add something each week, even if it is just one more rep or 2.5 lbs for each exercise, it is the only way to progress. Do not skimp on leg and back exercises or you will not be able to build any muscle, anywhere. Get in and get out; do your routine in 45 minutes, your workouts should not last longer than that. that usually means around 2 minutes between sets.

Keep your diet in check. That 1 grams for each pound is a bit exaggeration. I weigh 180, but I usually eat around 130 grams of protein daily, mostly from whole food sources.

Reverse_Angle wrote:Just do not listen to broscience. More often than not, it is crap. A vast majority of people talks the talk, but does not walk the walk. Bodybuilding.com is a good place to start though.

The most important advice I can give you is to sleep and be clever not to overtrain when you are designing your routine.

Do a full body workout with big compound movements (like arsenal said) 3 days a week. Have 3 working sets for each major muscle group in a day, which are back, legs, chest and shoulders. Keep your reps in the 6-10 territory.

For example, If you are heavy benching on monday (3x10), then pick something other than press for shoulders, preferably an isolation exercise like power partials. Consequently, do your shoulder presses on wednesday, but since you worked out your chest on monday pretty hard, try another chest exercise, i.e. incline dumbbell flyes on that day. Similarly, do romanian deadlifts on monday, but leg curls or calf pushes on wednesday, then heavy squats on friday.

Do not forget to add something each week, even if it is just one more rep or 2.5 lbs for each exercise, it is the only way to progress. Do not skimp on leg and back exercises or you will not be able to build any muscle, anywhere. Get in and get out; do your routine in 45 minutes, your workouts should not last longer than that. that usually means around 2 minutes between sets.

Keep your diet in check. That 1 grams for each pound is a bit exaggeration. I weigh 180, but I usually eat around 130 grams of protein daily, mostly from whole food sources.

[*] I like to mix in low reps (1-5) and high-to mid reps (6-15) in the workout. I Usually start the important exercises with low reps first, then burnout with the high reps at the end.

[*] Eat a lot of food. A lot of people like to say they eat "healthy" and clean but if you don't have the money or time just eat whatever you can. Especially if you have an Ectormorphic (skinny, low fat) bodytype. If you are not seeing progress that means 1 of 2 things. You either aren't working out hard enough or not eating enough.

[*] Supplements (in order of importance, none are necessary):

- Whey protein (basically food you don't have to cook)

- Fish oil capsules- Multivitamin

- Preworkout [C4, Jack3d, etc] (I dont take them but some people swear by them)- Creatine (don't really need this until you've been lifting for a while and are plateauing)

You should easily (as a beginner I assume) be able to gain more than 5-10 in a year.

I have a childhood friend who bodybuilds now for like 15 years. He is down in Miami and when Motley Crue got back together, he got bigger up to 265lbs with 8% body fat as he is very big boned so he could do security for a short time during their tour. He is scary huge looking. He goes to the gym for 2 hours every single day. Eats every (3) hours with a ton of protein mainly Chicken, Rice and Egg Yolks plus Protein Shakes. Eventually, you get sick of eating so much of the same thing, that is when body builders will actually take a little insulin which lowers your blood sugar and makes you super hungry. I wouldn't try that though as it is very dangerous unless you have a blood sugar monitor. But, lifting very heavy short reps will tear the muscle and then they rebuild quickly over a few days bigger.

Also, for energy being it is hard to maintain a routine of eating and lifting, he drinks SpeedStack which is like 500 milligrams of Caffeine drinks. I have seen him down those like I drink beers.

Yes, I know the videos are long, but they will have pretty much all the information you need in order to get your diet in check.

As far as lifting goes, it really depends on how many days you want to lift. There are so many different possibilities and combinations you can do. If you let me know the number of days you are going to be lifting, then I'll create you a routine.

I'd strongly advise what most places like bb.com tend to ignore, and that's being in good physical shape before bothering with a weight program. If your body can't properly handle what bulk it has now, trying to add a bunch more onto a frame that can't yet handle it isn't going to do you a whole lot of good. You might look swole for a summer, but in that sort of big but obviously out of shape way. If you're already in good shape and are already getting plenty (read: daily) exercise then by all means start a weight program. If you're like I was when I first started, a couch potato who just wants to impress the ladies, then do yourself a favor and get in shape first. In the end it will be well worth it.

Are you a beginner? If so, I second the Strong Lifts 5x5 suggestion. An alternative to that is Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength which uses similar exercises with a few variations. Provided your diet is in check, you are getting enough rest, and you are doing these exercises correctly (there are videos for each of those programs to help you perfect your form), you should blow up pretty quickly.

I would say go for isolation later on. For now, focus on presses, deadlifts, squats, etc.

Gaining 5-10 lbs of muscle mass by years end may be the most reasonable new years resolution I've heard yet. Props. My best advice is to not worry about any supplements, aside from protein. Not to say a pre-work out or creatine routine isn't useful, but in your case, it's really not necessary. Don't be persuaded otherwise. If I'm you, I'd work out 3 to 4 times a week, working upper body every other day, with at least one lower body a week. Also, like others have said, find your max, and work with the higher %'s of your max in sets of three. ex: (55%,65%,75%). Do this on your squats, benches, clings, dead lifts, etc. etc. Max every two weeks or so, you'll see gains. Keep a relaxed mind set, be consistent, and understand you benefit the most on those days you don't really feel like going to the gym yet lift anyway. Eat a good diet with carbs and protein, run a couple times a week, and you should be set.

Although it alters your workout days, I like a 2 days rest routine. Monday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday. The reasons for this are especially important in small framed beginners. You need to remember you don't want to work out so much that you are losing weight, burning more calories than you're eating. Short bursts of intense muscle building exercises combined with plenty of food, water, and rest will equal success. It's the sleep that allows your body to recover and build.

Echoing earlier statements, in the beginning focus on multi-muscle exercises. You want to do minimal reps, sometimes as low as 3 a set, and focus on max weight on the bars. Squats and deadlifts will increase your mass the fasted, benches, clings, and the other stuff will more slowly.

Do not let anyone tell you to workout more often than 4 times a week, I would really only go 3 times until you understand how to manage each workout and can get a 4th in that won't ruin your previous gains. You may feel like what you're doing isn't enough, but it is, just keep at it and after a month or 6 weeks your weight will take off.

Oh, and I'd go with 4000 calories a day if I were you. That should net you about a pound ever 4 days if you workout hard.

SmiteaDwight wrote:Whatever you do, stick to fewer reps and heavier weight. More reps will get you cut, fewer will get you big.

Do you even lift? This is broscience at its finest more reps doesn't get you cut less bodyfat does. Anyway op I suggest you get on a legit program and don't ever eliminate squat and deadlifts from your program if you want to get swole. Here is a program that got me from 180-200 pounds in 4 months